'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Summaries' [‎110r] (219/330)

Mo)
9o. Sur.ar .
The non-arrival of the sir-ar auota is enharrassin^ the Govern
ment, hut endeavours are ^einr ma^le to tahe over sur;ar from U.IhC.C.
stoc’zs in Bahrain th.us solvi v' the local supply problem r ancT
conserving shipping space.
9 6 , Piecenoocis .
Pieceyoods are in short supply particularly on the Trucial
Coast and with no transoort available Tor the Political Officer
Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. or his assistant it is impossible to effectively
Chech snuyfliny to Persia where it is alloyed fantastic prices are
beiny offered for all b.inds of cloth.
97. dn laurn.l ooss o ssi on of Llilita ry Stores c :c.
On the 27th, as a result of information received, the Bahrain
police applied for a search warrant to search the house of one C.C.
Bhatia, the Cleariny Clerh of Messrs. Cray Machen-ie L Company Ltd.
This yentleman had failed to clear from his ^remises 200,000 ciya-
rettes
Air force tyres, ana sunary other roods before
, d.A.A.F.I. stores, Bahrain Petroleum Company tools, American
o search too]: ulace
This dilatoriness , tho -
nofT'unus'ial in employees
fleet on the virtues
were carried out
' this concern,
will probably result in Mr.Bhatia * s movements beiny restricted for
sometime cluriny which he will have leisure to
of prompt attention to business, farther searches
of the premises of suspected persons but with little r££ult. These
police activities have momentarily cheched blacdd marbet activities
and some of the more nervous dealers are reported to have destroyed
their stocks.
98. U.S.I:aval Ob server s at Bah rain.
Commander Benhart the A merican Maval Observer, Basra, in
the course of conversation with the Political A{]ent said they were
considering the desirability of appoiutiuy an officer from his
office in Basra to act as Assistant Laval Observer for Bahrain and
Ras Tanura 4 It is already difficult to understand what the three
American Laval Officers at the Bahrain Petroleum Company can find
to do and there is no apparent necessity for the appointment of a
fourth official. The number of American ships arriving here, other
than tankers which are presumably dealt with by the U.S.Laval
Officers attached to the Bahrain Petroleum Company, is expected to
decrease from nov’ onwards as the major portion of the stores and
construction material for the Refiner 1 ' has already arrived.
o,a
. Broadcasting .
On the IGth a new feature was introduced on the Bahrain
Broadcast whic’ took the form of interviews with important Arab
visitors to Bahrain. Shai'd: Juma bin Ma‘:toon the eldest brother o
the Sliaildt of Dubai was the first person to be interviewed
broadcast was particularly well received as Shaik’ ^
everything he said could be heard and some uninte
asides cane over the air.
juma ro:
.tionallv
The
pot that
amusiny
100 . Labour ,
Labour difficulties increase day by day owing to their beiny
more and more demand for and less and less supply of able bodied
men as unskilled workers. The demand is due to the e.up ansi on in
the R.A.F. building: oroyramme and the intensified work by the
Berchtel-McCone-Parsons Corporation ,T ho are constructing the Refiner
extension. The dinunition in supply is due to 52Id men haviny al
ready left for the pearl ba.nlis and some further 2000 preparing: to
do so in the near future. The reennitiny proyramme#for labour for
Ras Tanura will shortly be openiny and it is now estimated that
they will require 15,000 workmen for tdeir Refinery Construction
and not L0,000 as was stated in para,-raoh 72 of Intelliyence Sum
mary IJo.C; of 10dd. The question of restricting, the movements of
/manual